attachment disorder

American  

noun

Psychology.

1. an emotional and behavioral disorder arising from a failure to form a strong bond with one’s primary caregiver in early childhood and affecting one’s social relationships in later childhood and adulthood.

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Etymology

Origin of attachment disorder

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Allan said he was diagnosed with an attachment disorder after watching his mother die in a car accident when he was three.

From BBC • Oct. 25, 2024

Whatever it is — Berlin gently suggested it’s an attachment disorder, because “how we learn to self-soothe comes out of our attachments” — I know it will take longer than a single January to locate.

From Washington Post • Feb. 1, 2022

Christian Hall was later diagnosed with reactive attachment disorder, a serious condition that can sometimes make it difficult for adopted children to connect with and love their parents and interact with people.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2021

The 16-month-old in Fritz’s care suffers from reactive attachment disorder, the result of being neglected during the critical early months of infancy.

From Washington Times • May 30, 2016

Often, struggling adoptive families are counseled by peers to consider the possibility of reactive attachment disorder, or RAD, a severe and uncommon condition that traditionally results when children’s earliest bonds are broken.

From Slate • Mar. 6, 2014